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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28595106">Under Pressure</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Areeta9/pseuds/Areeta9'>Areeta9</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Violet: Master of Chaldea [19]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fate/Grand Order, Fate/stay night &amp; Related Fandoms</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt, Flashbacks, Pain, Past, Pre-Solomon, Sad with a Happy Ending</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 07:02:19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,710</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28595106</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Areeta9/pseuds/Areeta9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"I never wanted to be master," Violet replied.</p><p>The room fell silent and all of the sudden, the pain came rushing back to her mind.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Violet: Master of Chaldea [19]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1589119</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Under Pressure</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Initially takes place after Babylonia but before Chaldea faces off against Solomon. Flashbacks take place after Septem</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“And this is the lounge and rec room. This area is open to both staff and servants. There’s plenty to do here: ping pong, pool, air hockey, some arcade games, watch tv, play boardgames (which are in the closet), we even have a few video game consoles,” said Violet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“YEAH!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A group of servants and staff members roared from in front of the large flatscreen tv.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uh, sorry about that,” said Mash. “There’s currently a video game tournament going on right now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay.” Suzuka scanned the crowd, her eyes lingering a bit longer on the male servants before continuing. She smiled broadly. “It’s good to know that the place isn’t completely full of boomers.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Boo-mers?” Mash asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The group playing games got loud again</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Technically speaking, most of the servants are older than boomers but I understand. Most of the servants were summoned in their 20s. You should fit right in,” replied Violet over the noise.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hm...after peepin’ the rest of this place, the scene could </span>
  <em>
    <span>totally</span>
  </em>
  <span> use a high school girl touch! I think I’ll be countin’ on you gals to help me!” Suzuka threw her arms around Violet and Mash’s shoulders. “Even you master! Giving you the high school girl experience ahead of time would be so lit!” she exclaimed loudly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Violet gave Suzuka a confused look. She was about to correct her when Suzuka turned to her and began asking her questions.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So Master, tell me about yourself! It’s not everyday that a magus is able to summon multiple servants, let alone the </span>
  <em>
    <span>dozens</span>
  </em>
  <span> you have here! Do you like it? Did you have a wish you wanted granted by the Grail?” Suzuka leans in conspiratorially. “Did you just want to peep the legendarily cute boys? Maybe get yourself a legendary boyfriend?” She leaned back. “What made you want to be a master?” she asked out loud.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I never wanted to be a master,” Violet answered honestly, loud enough for Suzuka to hear over the noise.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The whole room quieted. Violet felt all eyes suddenly on her. Violet looked around. The videogame on the flatscreen was paused and those who were playing games had stopped in response to her loud declaration. While she was speaking to Suzuka, the noise in the lounge had hit a lull, making her statement loud enough for everyone to hear.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>………………..</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Arturia! Use your Noble Phantasm!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Sheathed in the breath of the planet, a torrent of shining life. Feel its wrath. Excalibur!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Arturia’s sword lit up and with a mighty slash, the enemies were engulfed in a golden light extending up into the sky.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Violet, Mash, and their three other accompanying servants hunkered down and shaded their eyes as the blast and its blinding light bombarded them, kicking up dust as its force pushed them backwards.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Violet gazed up in awe.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘A-amazing!’ she thought. ‘S-so much pow-!’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Before Violet could finish the thought, her eyes closed and she limply fell forward.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Senpai!” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“End the simulation!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Violet sat at the table in the staff lounge. It was one of the rare occasions where Mash wasn’t by her side.  She thumbed the pages of the book in front of her. It was a copy of the Ulster Cycle. Since she now had a grand total of 3 Cu Chulainns, she had bumped him up on her “Research this Servant” list. However, she was finding it harder and harder to focus. She was having trouble finding enjoyment out of the task. To her dismay, this seemed to happen more and more often whenever she tried to read up on her servants. It was odd since before being sent to Chaldea, she would have eaten their stories right up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She tried to force herself to read the next line before she sighed and gave up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Violet opened her eyes.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Senpai!” Mash exclaimed by her side.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Violet. Good to see you awake. You passed out from mana drain,” said Doctor Romani as he checked her vitals.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Mana drain?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Yes, I believe we’ve discussed this with you before?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Violet sat up on the infirmary bed and nodded. Standing around the bed was Dr. Romani, Mash, a senior staff member, and the recently summoned blue saber.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The staff member looked at the clipboard in his hand. “King Arthur, your Noble Phantasm’s power is certainly impressive and is certainly an asset to our cause of restoring humanity. However,” the staff member side-eyed Violet, “it appears that our master here and her paltry magic circuits are unable to utilize your abilities efficiently.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I-I’m sorry,” Violet said quietly, avoiding eye contact with her servant. She was starting to find it harder and harder to look her servants in the eyes.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Arturia gave her master an even look before turning to the doctor and the staff member.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“This is not my first time working with an inexperienced magus. If I restrict my power, I should still be able to participate in battle without causing her harm ,correct?” she asked.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Dr. Romani and the staff member thought for a moment before the staff member nodded. “Yes, that is possible.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“However, to be safe, we’d have to reduce team size. Mash doesn’t passively take mana from Violet but if Violet passed out from fielding four servants we’ll have to either reduce the team size or restrict her to using servants that don’t require as much mana to field you.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Understood.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“This arrangement is temporary,” said Dr. Romani as he tried to give Violet a reassuring smile. He patted her on the shoulder. “Your magic circuits are like any other part of your body, if you keep exercising them, eventually you’ll be able to field a full team! Now get some rest.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘He says I’ll get better but that doesn’t change the fact that right now I’m shoddy at best. That trek through Europe definitely could have gone better,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> Violet thought to herself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Violet’s thoughts were interrupted by the smell of smoke.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She looked up to see one of her older male coworkers sitting in a seat near her, smoking a cigarette.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Um, excuse me Mr…” Violet couldn’t recall the name of this particular staff member. All she remembered was that he was a magus. “Sir? Can you please put out that cigarette? Smoking isn’t allowed in here.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The older man glowered at her before blowing a cloud of smoke in her face. Violet sputtered and coughed as the man continued to read his magazine and smoke his cigarette.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Eventually her coughing subsided. Violet sat back in her seat and took a few deep breaths, before settling into a sad expression.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Look what we got from the cafeteria!” A young female staff member exclaimed as she entered the staff lounge. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She looked to be in her twenties. Like with her other coworker, Violet couldn’t recall her name, but she did recall that she wasn’t a magus. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Violet tried to keep her expression neutral.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Behind the young staff member came ten other members, conversing with each other as they spread out about the staff lounge. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The kitchen crew made us donuts!” the woman exclaimed as she set the tray of deserts on the table. “And they’re still warm! “ she exclaimed cheerfully.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Violet’s eyes lit up. She took a napkin from the holder and took a donut. She felt its warmth through the napkin and breathed in its scent.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Cinnamon’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she thought. A small smile crept on her face, just barely visible behind the donut as she got ready to take a bite.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> of all people don’t need any of these.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Violet moved the donut away from her mouth and looked up. Glaring down at her with her icy blue eyes was one of her coworkers. She was one of the younger ones, but Violet couldn’t help but feel intimidated by her. She was a tall, busty, magically inclined blond with a strong dislike of Violet for whatever reason.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I mean, look at you! It’s no wonder your team had to make so many stops in Orleans and Septem!” she continued in a Scandanavian accent, pointing at Violet’s plump form. “You should be more considerate of your familiars. I’m sure it’s a pain lugging you all across Europe.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Violet averted her eyes. Her lowered eyes fell on her coworker's petite waist. She unconsciously wrapped an arm around her own squishy middle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If only your reports were as full as your figure,” added another staff member. “Honestly!” he exclaimed irritably, “Tuesday’s report is the fourth one I’ve had to send back to you because of  missing data! They’re also filed incorrectly! It took ten minutes to figure out where the hell you put them!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I-I’m sor-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And then there’s your reports on your servants! Not including the demiservant girl, you have 23 familiars, yet we’re missing reports for a third of them!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh God, speaking of servants, the brat can’t even use them properly!” another staff member chimed in. “Romulus was one of the first servants you had summoned and yet you forget about his Septem Colles skill and nearly get your whole team wiped out!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And parts of the facility are still blocked off! Can’t you make them work through the rubble faster?” yet another staff member, this time a grumpy middle aged woman.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But the construction is lead by Da Vi-” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Now that I think about it, look at how you screwed up summoning Alexander the Great! Instead we got some useless brat who can’t even recall most of his future achievements” said a male staff member.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey! What did Alex do to y-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And then there’s King Arthur! Somehow you finally get yourself a decent saber- scratch that, a spectacular saber deigns to answer your worthless summons but you and your pathetic magic circuits can’t even use her!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A female staff member, a shy female in her thirties tried to speak up. “Uh, guys, I think this is enough. Please-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The tall blonde grabbed the back of Violet’s chair, bringing her attention back to her. “Why were you even selected as a master with such shoddy circuits?! To think the likes of you were put into the same position as my own sister! You don’t deserve the honor! 48 masters, of all of them, </span>
  <em>
    <span>why did you survive?</span>
  </em>
  <span>” she asked, her voice full of bile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Violet shoved her seat backward and stood up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>
    <em>You think I wanted to be a master! You think I wanted to be humanity’s last, surviving master?!?!?!</em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span>” </span>
  </em>
  <span>she shouted, her face red in anger.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>
    <em>You think I wanted to be taken from my parents?! From my sister?! You think I wanted them to pack my bags and give me those blank smiles as those DAMN mages took me away?! That I WANTED to be blindfolded and forced on a plane to God knows where?!</em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span>” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Violet threw her chair to the ground.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>
    <em>Do YOU think I wanted to be the only survivor and excavate and cremate the bodies of those I was expected to work with?! Do you think I wanted the guilt of being the only one of the 48 alive?! Do you think I wanted to have to risk my life every time a singularity is found?!</em>
  </b>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Violet was breathing heavily now and tears were streaming down her face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know what?! I wish I had died back then, then I wouldn’t have to be around people like you! </span>
  <b>
    <em>SCREW ALL OF YOU!</em>
  </b>
  <span>” she screamed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She shoved the blonde backwards and charged out of the staff room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The door slammed against the hallway wall as she roughly pushed it out of her way. Vision blurry with her tears and head hung low, she charged in a random direction.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Whoa!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Violet raised her head. She had run into King Arthur, Arturia.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Master, is something wrong? I heard shouting,” the king asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seeing the knight’s noble, calm demeanor that felt like it could withstand anything made a pit of shame grow in Violet’s stomach. How could someone as incompetent as her be master to such a being?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s nothing,” Violet lied, lowering her head once more and pushing past her servant.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>………………..</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What happened yesterday in the staff lounge?” asked Dr. Romani.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>All of the staff members were gathered in the control room. It was their usual scheduled meeting, however the atmosphere was anything but the usual.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Many of the staff members shifted in their seats uneasily.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Romani frowned. “I received a report from one of the servants yesterday that there was a disturbance, a lot of shouting, in the lounge.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The staff members looked around at each other, some of them in confusion ,others knowingly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, is someone going to speak up?” asked Da Vinci.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nobody volunteered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I understand that all of you may not have been in the staff lounge yesterday. The servant in question was able to verify one person’s presence. Violet. Would you care to share?” asked Romani.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Violet stayed silent.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Senpai?” Mash asked. Fou tapped on Violet’s arm.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Violet?” Romani asked again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m here,” she said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Romani tried to look her in the eye. He tilted his head to the left and then to the right but no matter how he tilted his head, he couldn’t seem to see her eyes past the glare of her glasses.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nothing happened yesterday,” Violet said emotionlessly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Some of the staff members raised their eyebrows at her. There was some murmuring.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure?” Romani asked. Looking at Violet, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. Violet was young, only a little older than Mash. If she was having trouble, he wanted to do whatever he could to help her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Arturia’s words as she reported the noise from the staff lounge and Violet’s reaction came to mind.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“In life I made the mistake of not learning the feelings of my subordinates. There are many times where they were struggling and I failed to understand them. I fear I may have harmed those I cared about. Please don’t make the same mistake I did, Dr. Romani.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Romani stepped forward and crouched down to her seated eye level, hand on her shoulder. “Are you </span>
  <em>
    <span>sure</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” he said quietly, concern obvious in his tone. He tried to search her eyes but despite being so close to her, he still couldn’t see past the lens of her glasses.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Y-” Violet’s voice wavered for a moment before her voice became monotone once more, “Yes.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She stood up from her seat. “Forgive me, I’d like to excuse myself.” Before receiving permission, she stiffly exited the command room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dr. Romani let out a sigh and stood up. “I guess we’ll move on then.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A little close, don’t ya think?” someone muttered, just loud enough for Dr. Romani to hear.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Excuse me?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t you think the way you treat Blackwell is a bit unprofessional?” a staff member asked scornfully.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Romani’s eyes narrowed. “Out of all of us she has the least experience, yet she has the job that has the most risk to her well being along with being one of our youngest. Should I not be concerned about her?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Romani was on guard. He knew that not all of Chaldea’s remaining staff liked the fact that he was acting director, especially some of the magi. They bristled at having to take orders from a young, normal human with no status or bloodline.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You two seem so close. You even hugged her as soon as she and the Demi-servant returned to Fuyuki,” the staff member continued.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Also,” chimed in another staff member, “I heard that the reason she wasn’t with the other masters on the day of the disaster was because she was with you!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh that explains it!” replied another staff member, the tall blonde with the Scandinavian accent. “With her magic circuits, no way she would have been selected! She probably only got in because she was the Doctor’s pet! That bitch was probably lying about being taken from her family just to get sympathy!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mash looked around in fearful confusion as multiple staff members lept at the chance to ridicule and accuse her senpai and paternal figure.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s enough-!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I always knew you liked little girls, Doc! God knows what you’ve been doing with this one all these years!” said a crude male staff member with disdainful laugh as he nodded towards Mash.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“ENOUGH!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Da Vinci slammed her hands on the table, glaring at the crowd in front of her. They had already decided to drag Violet and Romani through the mud, they were </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> going to drag Mash into this. Everyone fell silent.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We expect the calculations for the next singularity to be done in 10 days. 5 days from now we’ll have another summoning. I expect at least three rooms to be prepared by then. Mash, be sure to inform Violet. As for everything else, we don’t want to hear a single word of the slander some of you spouted today. All of you are dismissed,” Da Vinci said bitterly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The staff members got up and began to leave. Many were confused and concerned. Others were angry and bitter. They muttered to each other about what happened.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s probably banging the tranny as well as the brats” the crude staff member murmured as he passed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Da Vinci’s frown deepened and when everyone was gone she turned to Dr. Romani. He had his face in his hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, Leonardo.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You and Violet did not deserve that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dr. Romani sighed and removed his hand. “It’s probably because of the disaster. A lot of people were lost, the outside world ended, and we still haven’t found all of the bodies. They lost family and friends and we don’t have a therapist on hand to help them.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But does that give them the right to scapegoat you and Violet?! That doesn’t help anyone! It just makes both of your jobs harder! You two both went through the same trauma as all of them! You don’t need their crap as well!” she exclaimed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know Da Vinci. I know,” Romani breathed out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>………………..</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The shy female staff member who had been in the lounge the previous day split off from the group of staff members as they exited the control room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Why didn’t she tell them what happened?’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she wondered as she walked down the empty hallway.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Would I have? In front of everyone after being humiliated like that?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She stopped walking. “Oh God, I should have said something. What kind of person am I, letting that kid get ripped into like that? The least I could have done was report it…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She continued down the hallway. She was still walking the perimeter of the control room when she encountered Violet. She was standing against the wall next to a slightly ajar door.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The woman realized that the door was one of the control room’s side doors. Had the girl been listening in after she left the meeting?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The woman reached out her trembling hand. “V-violet!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Violet turned her head to her, her mouth in a straight line and her eyes invisible behind her spectacles.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Er, Ms. Blackwell,” she realized that using her first name contained a bit too much familiarity, “I’m sorry about all the things the others said about you.” She looked down. “I’m also sorry for not stopping them,” she said quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two stood in silence for a moment before Violet got off the wall and walked towards the woman.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That doesn’t help anyone,” she said as she walked past the woman, her expression unchanged.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wha-?” the woman uttered in astonishment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She turned and watched the master of Chaldea leave.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>From that day forward, the master began to avoid her coworkers to the best of her ability. She only spoke when spoken to and was otherwise silent. She couldn’t bring herself to face her servants, so she kept them at arm's length as much as she could and isolated herself whenever she wasn’t required to interact with them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>………………..</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As she stood in the lounge, Violet recalled the troubled months that followed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She would go on to conquer two more of Solomon’s singularities and multiple mini singularities ,but struggle to find any enjoyment in any of them. She’d work and work but never be satisfied with results. The feeling of inadequacy and loneliness and fear would pervade her every waking moment and then continue to pursue her in her dreams if it allowed her to sleep. She’d get sick again and again until her body finally gave out from the stress. Her own servants repeatedly reported her, there was an incident in the cafeteria, and she was put on sabbatical.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She recalled how long it took to pull herself back together again. Scratch that, it was still a process she was still going through. Her only hope was that she was being made into someone better than what she was before.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She blinked and returned to reality. She looked around. Before her were her servants. Before her were her coworkers, some of whom had hated her, some of whom had been her accusers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Violet returned her gaze to Suzuka. One of her fox ears was twitching uncomfortably. With the way everyone was reacting, she must’ve realized that she stepped on a landmine. Luckily for her, it was a landmine that Violet could defuse.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I never wanted to be a master. I never got a say in it: I was brought to Chaldea against my will and made a master due to circumstance. Being a master hasn’t always been pleasant or fun ,but...This is where the Lord has planted me. This Violet was not placed here to wither.</span>
  <em>
    <span> It will not wither.</span>
  </em>
  <span> It will grow and It will fulfill its purpose” Violet said with conviction and in opposition, opposition to the cruel words of her coworkers, to the pain she’s already been through, to the pain to come, and to the odds stacked against her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oooo…. That look!” Suzuka exclaimed with a grin. “I love it! Master, you can count on me! I can’t wait to see how this flower blooms!” she leaped onto her master and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A small smile spread on Violet’s lips. She straightened herself up. “Now, our tour’s not done. Let’s go.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Violet, Mash, and Suzuka left the lounge to continue their tour.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Since I've been writing more lighthearted Epic of Remnant era stuff recently, I decided to switch up and talk about Chaldea's environment before everybody really got their footing. I don't think Chaldea would be a fun place to be when the attack is still fresh on everyone's minds. The game doesn't provide a lot of detail about the staff and how they feel about things. I think I want to take a page out of Fragments of Chaldea's book and make a few of them into actual people in the future. I also wanted to show how Violet has changed during her time in Chaldea since I started this series with her having already completed Agartha and become experienced in handling servants.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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